Human Rights Tracker Scotland: Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA)

Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment Template

1. Brief Summary

Type of proposal:

Decision of a strategic nature relating to the rights and wellbeing of children

Name the proposal, and describe its overall aims and intended purpose.

Title: Human Rights Tracker Scotland (the Tracker)

Purpose:

The Human Rights Tracker Scotland will be an accessible online platform that presents recommendations from international human rights treaty bodies and provides information on any relevant action taken and outcomes, with the aim of further enabling strategic and coordinated action in devolved areas. The overarching objective is to improve transparency and enhance implementation efforts.

Background

The Scottish Government contributes to reporting on human rights obligations to the United Nations (UN) and Council of Europe via the UK Government as State Party. Guidance from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights outlines the importance of tools that keep track of recommendations and that are periodically updated with implementation information to support monitoring and accountability. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) developed a tool in 2019 that collates international recommendations and tracks implementation in relation to reserved matters.

The Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2025 commits to ‘developing legislation to incorporate certain international human rights treaties into Scots law, working with stakeholders to refine proposals, and laying the groundwork for effective implementation’. In October 2024, the Leadership Panel for Scotland’s National Action Plan for Human Rights (SNAP2) wrote to Ministers setting out prioritised actions which includes the development of a tool to measure, monitor and support the implementation of international treaty body recommendations. Following a ministerial commitment in October 2024, the Scottish Government convened a Human Rights Tracker Design Group (the Design Group) consisting of stakeholders with expertise of monitoring and implementing human rights across Scotland. The Design Group has provided views on questions relating to ownership, form, functionality and scope.

The Tracker will be delivered in phases. The first phase of the Tracker will be launched in March 2026. This will be developed and initially administered by the Scottish Government and will provide a public digital interface that complies with relevant accessibility standards. It will initially feature basic functionality, providing a database of recommendations from UN core human rights treaties which are tagged to support searchability, thematic organisation, and user navigation.

The second phase of the Tracker will aim to develop an implementation methodology that supports clear and coherent reporting on action taken against relevant recommendations and the outcome. This will give consideration to publishing simplified, Easy Read and Child Friendly versions of the recommendations to further support user understanding. An indicative timeline for progressively uploading information onto the Tracker will be published, starting with the most recent recommendations from the UN Committee for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The Scottish Government will also aim to publish an Evaluation Plan that would set out how the Tracker would be assessed over the lifetime of the project.

The third phase will aim to consider options for expanding the scope, introducing advanced functionality and longer-term hosting arrangements of the Tracker. This phased approach will consider opportunities to reflect a whole of society approach to implementation, reporting, and follow-up. Phases 2 and 3 remain subject to the outcome of the 2026 Scottish Parliamentary elections.

The Tracker will aim to contain information that is relevant to children’s rights, including those under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), as well as other treaty instruments. By improving transparency and accountability on these recommendations and enhancing implementation efforts, the Tracker will contribute towards Scotland’s commitment to protecting children’s rights and promoting their wellbeing.

Start date of proposal’s development: October 2024

Start date of CRWIA process: April 2025

2. With reference given to the requirements of the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024 which aspects of the proposal are relevant to/impact upon children’s rights?

Article 4 Implementation of the Convention

The Tracker is likely to enhance implementation efforts by making it easier for the Scottish Government and others to identify, consider and, where relevant, act on recommendations in a clear and coordinated way, including by seeing those relevant recommendations that relate to similar issues together through the use of tagging.

Article 13: Freedom of expression

The Tracker will aim to provide children with more comprehensive information across more sources in a more accessible language and format which has the potential to allow for more children and young people to access and share information about recommendations directly affecting them, compared with the current approach.

Article 42: Knowledge of rights

The Tracker will accessibly present recommendations made through the UNCRC Committee, and other UN Committees, following its cyclical examination of Scotland, thereby improving children and young people’s access to this information relating to their rights. Using rights-based language may encourage children to be more aware of their rights and more able to understand them in different contexts.

3. Please provide a summary of the evidence gathered which will be used to inform your decision-making and the content of the proposal

Existing evidence

In the State of Children’s Rights in Scotland 2024^[1] report, children and young people stressed the importance of providing age-appropriate information about rights across all educational stages, including online spaces. They called for opportunities to make meaningful choices about learning and to develop self-advocacy skills. Digital access was highlighted as essential for participation, with concerns that lack of devices or poor connectivity can exclude children from learning about their rights and engaging in advocacy.

In the Our Digital Rights^[2] report, children and young people called for digital platforms that promote wellbeing and autonomy. Participants also spoke about how to raise awareness of children’s rights and human rights laws. They suggested that this should be done through schools and other education settings, websites, social media, and practical workshops. They emphasised that information must be accessible and easy for all children to understand, but not overly simplified, as this could undermine its seriousness.

What Kind of Scotland (2023)^[3] emphasised the importance of inclusive engagement across all age groups, stating: “As we journey towards being a human right focused nation there is a need to commit to meaningful engagement and empowerment and to do this with citizens of all ages.”

The Children’s Rights Scheme – Children and Young People’s Evidence Bank^[4] identified policymakers and decision-makers as key groups who should receive training on the UNCRC, with children stating that “decision-makers and policymakers need to know about the UNCRC so they can assess the impact of decisions on children’s rights”.

Children and young people in Scotland continue to face barriers to digital inclusion, particularly those in care or from low-income backgrounds. The Digital Lives of Care Experienced Children report^[5] highlights that many lack access to devices and reliable internet, have limited digital skills, and experience frequent school absences or unstable living conditions. These challenges contribute to digital exclusion and limit their ability to engage with online learning and services. The Child Poverty Delivery Plan has also begun to incorporate digital access as a key enabler for tackling poverty. In 2023, the Scottish Government shifted its digital device commitment from schools to households, aiming to support disadvantaged families with children.

Further evidence gathered through the consultation on the Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Act 2022 (Extension of Temporary Justice Measures) Regulations 2024^[6] outlined the impact of limited digital literacy and infrastructure on children and young people. Respondents noted that children with care experience often face additional barriers to digital inclusion, including lack of access to devices, poor connectivity, and limited adult support.

Evidence shows that nearly one in four children in Scotland live in poverty, with over half of these children living in households where someone is disabled^[7]. Children and young people have highlighted how poverty intersects with digital exclusion, particularly in relation to education. The Educational Institute of Scotland notes that children from lower-income households often lack access to devices or reliable internet, which limits their ability to complete homework and engage meaningfully in digital learning^[8]. This issue is especially acute for care-experienced children, those living in rural areas, and children who move homes frequently.^[9]

Rural communities face additional barriers, with poor broadband disproportionately affecting their ability to connect. For example, in parts of Moray, 96.2% of homes have internet speeds below 10 Mbps, significantly limiting opportunities for digital participation and learning.^[10]

Children and young people in Scotland continue to face barriers to digital inclusion, particularly those in care or from low-income backgrounds. The Digital Lives of Care Experienced Children report highlights that many lack access to devices and reliable internet, have limited digital skills, and experience frequent school absences or unstable living conditions. These challenges contribute to digital exclusion and limit their ability to engage with online learning and services^[11]. Research commissioned by the Scottish Government also shows that while digital technologies can support education, their benefits are not equally felt. Younger children, in particular, often lack the foundational digital literacy needed to navigate online spaces safely and confidently^[12].

Families and trusted adults play a vital role in supporting children’s digital lives. The Scottish Government’s National Action Plan on Internet Safety highlights the importance of parents and carers acting as digital role models.^[13] This includes engaging in open conversations about online safety and being equipped with the technical knowledge needed to guide children’s digital activity. When families are confident and informed, children are more likely to navigate online spaces safely and positively.

A study commissioned by the Scottish Government on the Minimum Digital Living Standard (MDLS) outlines what families need to be digitally included. This goes beyond just having devices and internet access, it also includes digital skills, affordability, and support networks.^[14] Crucially, the study recognises the central role families play in enabling children’s access to and confidence in the digital world.

To support this, initiatives like Connecting Scotland offer practical resources for families. These include toolkits and online courses, such as the Open University’s Parenting in the Digital Age, which provide guidance on digital literacy, online safety, and critical thinking.^[15] Families in rural areas, who often face additional challenges due to poor connectivity, can also access targeted support to help bridge the digital divide.

Views of children and young people on related issues

Children and young people have consistently expressed the importance of being involved in decisions that affect them. In the Our Digital Rights^[16] report, participants stated: “We hope young people’s views and ideas continue to be central to the implementation of our recommendations and together create a digital world to which we are empowered to access creatively, knowledgeably, and fearlessly.”

Children and young people have identified the digital world as a key space for expressing and accessing information about their rights. In What Kind of Scotland (2023)^[17], it was noted that “the digital world offers extraordinary opportunities for promoting and protecting children’s rights and wellbeing.” Evidence gathered from children and young people has consistently highlighted gaps in awareness and understanding of their rights under the UNCRC. In What Kind of Scotland (2023), one participant reflected that “incorporating children’s rights is important because some people don’t even know what the UNCRC is,” pointing to a broader lack of visibility and understanding of rights among children and young people.

This concern was echoed in the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024 updated CRWIA report, where children and young people noted that many of their peers were unaware of the UNCRC. Young people also stated that they would like to be informed about which parts of the UNCRC cannot be incorporated and suggested that prioritising changes would help reassure them that their rights are being respected. The same report highlighted a desire for practical tools to support rights awareness and accountability. Young people proposed the creation of an online complaints system to report rights breaches, and called for clear, accessible, and up-to-date information online.

According to the Young Scot’s Truth about Youth survey (2025) 65% of respondents had heard of the UNCRC. 71% knew that the UNCRC was there to protect children. 61% of respondents felt that the public services they engaged with did respect their rights. However, 22% had a mixed response, and 5% felt that their rights were not respected.

Evidence gathered in the design of the Tracker

There is already significant stakeholder support for the development of a Tracker, including from organisations that represent children and young people, and the tool was identified as a prioritised action in Scotland’s Second National Action Plan for Human Rights (SNAP2). In this context, the decision to proceed with a tool was deemed not to require further consultation.

A Tracker Design Group was formed in March 2025 to inform the design of a tool for Scotland, including options relating to ownership, form, functionality and scope of the tool. The Group has involved organisations that represent children and young people and have expertise in human rights treaty scrutiny and reporting – particularly through Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights) and the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland. The Design Group considered an overview of the evidence in this assessment and did not identify any gaps at this time.

Together has experience of maintaining a Excel database on UNCRC recommendations and highlighted the barriers and trade-offs in this approach which informed the Scottish Government’s decision to adopt an off-the-shelf product that can be more accessible to children and young people. This will conform with Scottish Government accessibility guidelines and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2. An accessibility audit of the Tracker will be conducted prior to launch, alongside user testing by the members of the Design Group. Further views be sought throughout future phases of the work.

4. Further to the evidence described at ‘3’ have you identified any 'gaps' in evidence which may prevent determination of impact? If yes, please provide an explanation of how they will be addressed

No gaps identified.

5. Analysis of Evidence

While the Tracker’s primary targeted users are policy professionals, the Tracker would have a role in promoting greater access to relevant rights-based recommendations for children and young people, regardless of their background, identity or circumstances. While inequalities in access to services and digital infrastructure exist, the Tracker would provide a mechanism for children and young people to be directly engaged with their rights more so than they may be able to do at present. By making recommendations visible and accessible to all, the Tracker would help children from marginalised groups, including those with care experience, disabled children, and those living in poverty or rural areas, to access information on the views of international human rights bodies and relevant action taken in Scotland.

Children and young people have consistently expressed the importance of being involved in decisions that affect them. The Tracker has been developed with input from Together and the Children’s Rights Commissioner, ensuring that children’s views are considered throughout its design. Future phases of the work will provide further opportunities for engagement, including through the inclusion of Child Friendly interpretations of treaty body recommendations.

The Tracker would support children and young people’s ability to access and share information about relevant recommendations that directly affect them. Evidence shows that children are increasingly using digital platforms to express their views and learn about their rights. While digital access and skills remain key concerns, the Tracker would contribute to creating a more informed and empowered digital environment for children. By providing accessible, up-to-date information in formats that are appropriate for children and young people, the Tracker could promote informed engagement. It could also support children’s ability to advocate for change and participate in public discourse on rights issues through access to recommendations that most affect them. Tagging and search features will be key features of the Tracker’s initial development so children and young people would be able to easily search for recommendations that are relevant to them.

Evidence gathered from children and young people highlights gaps in awareness and understanding of the UNCRC. The Tracker will include recommendations from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child as well as other treaties that relate to children’s rights, thereby acting as a practical tool to promote knowledge of rights and the recommendations made to uphold them in a modern context as the Tracker will be updated in line with reporting cycles and policy developments related to recommendations. It could support children, families, and services to better understand how children’s rights are being implemented in Scotland.

6. What changes (if any) have been made to the proposal as a result of this assessment?

Feedback from stakeholders and the evidence gathered, has informed the decision to use an off-the-shelf software produce with an intuitive interface that can be accessed by children and young people.

An accessibility audit and user testing with the Design Group has provided opportunities to understand the needs of children and young people. Future phases of the work will consider the inclusion of Child Friendly interpretations of the recommendations to further improve understanding.